Chapter 449: A Small Island

At the same time.

Yuan Yao and her Eldest Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother exchanged a glance, then said to Xiao Lingchao, "Let's go into the sea now."

Xiao Lingchao heard this and had no objection.

After the few of them swallowed water‑repelling beads, they headed toward the sea.

Xiao Ru, Xiao Fu, and Qiao Ruoning saw this and exchanged a glance.

"Ru'er, you go," Xiao Fu said, squinting slightly.

Xiao Ru nodded and then headed toward the sea.

At this moment, as Yuan Yao and the others entered the water, they saw dozens of Cultivators swimming downward, gradually dispersing.

Yuan Yao sent a voice to Xiao Lingchao: "Let's swim forward; there are too many people here, and we can hunt too few sea beasts."

Xiao Lingchao heard this and nodded toward her.

As they swam forward, Xiao Lingchao found himself and Yuan Yao surrounded in the middle by Song Yan and Xue Jin.

Xiao Lingchao felt an indescribable sensation.

Are they considering his young age, or caring for him because of his sister?

At that moment, Xiao Ru, who had just entered the water, noticed that Yuan Yao and the three others were not swimming downward but forward, and she felt a slight tightening in her chest.

Did they discover something?!

She swam forward, trailing far behind them.

Yuan Yao, Song Yan, and Xue Jin had long since noticed Xiao Ru following behind, but they did not expose her, simply continued swimming forward.

After about a quarter of an hour, they had swum to a spot far from the shore, and the silhouettes of other participants were sparse.

A hint of doubt arose in Xiao Lingchao; seeing that they showed no sign of stopping, he couldn't help sending a voice: "There are few participants here now; shall we swim downwards?"

Yuan Yao's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned her head toward him, "Lingchao, is there a small island near Fusang Island? Is that island governed by your maternal grandfather?"

"Yes…" Xiao Lingchao was stunned.

Yuan Yao smiled, "We'll head to that small island right now."

Even if Xiao Lingchao were slow, he sensed something off and couldn't help asking, "What exactly are you planning to do?"

Yuan Yao's beautiful face glowed even whiter in the water; her jet‑black eyes stared at Xiao Lingchao as she said seriously, "If I told you that your maternal grandfather is colluding with outsiders to seize Fusang Island and claim the island lordship for himself, would you believe me?"

"Impossible!" he blurted, and a water‑repelling bead slipped from his mouth.

The seawater choked him sharply a few times; he quickly reached out, retrieved the bead, and held it in his mouth.

Xue Jin sent a voice: "If you don't believe it, then let's go see for ourselves."

Xiao Lingchao, seeing their certainty, couldn't help asking, "How did you know?"

"Because… Xiahou Rui."

Those words made Xiao Lingchao's face show shock; he wanted to ask further, but Xue Jin grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him forward.

"We'll swim downstream first," Yuan Yao said.

Xiao Ru was still behind; they had to shake her off first.

Song Yan and Xue Jin had no objection.

Xiao Lingchao was still sending a voice asking them questions, but the next moment, Xue Jin dragged him downward at a very fast, pressuring speed.

Yuan Yao and Song Yan swam quickly downward.

While swimming, Yuan Yao suddenly recalled that Xie Yan does not know how to manipulate water.

She hadn't sent him a message for a while.

She pulled her thoughts back and continued swimming downward.

Seeing this, Xiao Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she still followed.

But their downstream speed was too fast.

It made her unable to keep up.

Xiao Ru's complexion shifted as she kept swimming down, and she saw streaks of red spreading in the water—the blood of sea beasts.

At that moment, a ferocious sea beast lunged toward her.

Xiao Ru, now only at the peak of the later stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, could not withstand such a fierce attack; in the critical moment she produced an attack spirit tool and fired it toward the sea beast, temporarily escaping it, then hurried upward.

But misfortune struck again, and several more sea beasts surrounded her.

Xiao Ru's face turned pale.

She quickly produced a teleportation talisman, infused it with spirit energy, and vanished instantly.

On the other side, Xiao Lingchao, after seeing Yuan Yao and the others cleave sea beasts as easily as cutting watermelons, was deeply shocked.

Xiao Lingchao, now thirteen, is only at the Initial Golden Core.

If he faced these sea beasts alone, he would likely be seriously injured.

Yet they effortlessly sliced them with a single sword.

Xiao Lingchao couldn't help asking, "What cultivation realm are you at now?"

"Initial Nascent Soul," Yuan Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xiao Lingchao was shocked.

Yuan Yao is only three years older than him and has already broken through to the Initial Nascent Soul!

Xiao Lingchao couldn't help looking at Song Yan and Xue Jin, "Are you also at the Nascent Soul Realm? Then is my sister also at Nascent Soul?"

Xue Jin gave him a faint glance.

Xiao Lingchao, however, sensed his contempt.

Song Yan, with a smiling tone, said, "Lingwei's cultivation realm is higher than ours; she is at the Initial Spirit Transformation Realm."

Xiao Lingchao, hearing this, was dumbfounded; the water‑repelling bead in his mouth was about to fall out, and he quickly covered his mouth.

He looked utterly incredulous, as if saying: How is this possible?!

A Spirit Transformation Realm early-stage expert under nineteen years old?!

It's actually his own older sister?!

Before, Xiao Lingchao thought Xiao Lingwei's cultivation talent was merely a bit better than others', which was why that Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord took her as a disciple.

Now, after learning Yuan Yao and Xiao Lingwei's cultivation realms, he was greatly shocked in his heart.

He suddenly recalled his mother proudly saying in front of outsiders: "My daughter is merely lucky to have been taken as a disciple by the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord."

After saying that, she curled her lips into a smile.

Back then he believed his mother's words were true, but now upon reflection—

This is nothing but blatant showing off to others!

What luck?!

This is truly deserving of its name!

You should know, the elders of their Fusang Island are also Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators, but they have all lived at least over a hundred years.

And their own sister is still over a month away from turning nineteen!

"Second Senior Sister is very formidable." Yuan Yao said proudly.

Xiao Lingchao's expression was complex.

After this little interlude, several people continued swimming forward.

About half an hour later.

They finally reached the vicinity of that small island.

Yuan Yao and the four of them did not rashly poke their heads out.

Yuan Yao closed her eyes and immediately released her divine sense to scout the situation at the small island's shore.

As expected, quite a few people were stationed on the shore, the guards were strict.

Yuan Yao used her divine sense and finally found a lax spot among the guards.

She led the three of them toward that spot.